Wednesday, September 29, 2010

While Reba's upcoming album is entitled 'All the Women I Am,' she's been tackling the opposite sex's perspective with a cover of Beyoncé's 'If I Were a Boy.' The countrified version of the hit song will appear on Reba's new CD, due in stores November 9. This, of course, isn't the first time that Reba's taken a pop hit and turned it into a country hit back in 2007 she teamed up with Kellie Clarkson on "Because of You."

While we're on the subject of taking a song from one genre and turning it into another-Little Big Town says they'd love Eminem to use one of their songs. The group's Kimberly Roads tells Usmagazine, "I think that would be kind of cool if someone like Eminem would take our song 'Boondocks' and create a nasty, dirty rap over it."

Alt-country crooner Lyle Lovett is going to guest star on an upcoming episode of “Castle.” ABC describes his character as “a larger than life yet shadowy government figure who plays his cards close to the chest.” He investigates a possible alien abduction. His episode will air sometime in November.

On a random note...Kenny Chesney says he is freaked out by using soap.

It was a homecoming of epic proportions as country stars like Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels and Josh Turner celebrated the return of the Grand Ole Opry to the newly restored Opry House last night in Nashville. Highlights of the evening included a taped greeting from President Obama, who congratulated the venue and city on its recovery and offered a "welcome home." Backstage, Lorrie Morgan commented on the energy of the evening saying, "It's like people are falling in love with the Opry all over again." The special evening may have been most memorable for Blake. Immediately following their performance of "Hillbilly Bone," Trace handed him a cell phone with a message from the Opry via Twitter inviting him to be their newest member. The star-studded evening was capped of with a performance of "Working Man Blues" by Brad, Keith, Steve Wariner, Ricky Skaggs and Marty Stuart.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

How much did you pay for your wedding pics...probably not close to what some are willing to pay for a copy of Carrie Underwood's! Word has it that People magazine will pay around $2 million to for the exclusive photos. Guess that'll help cover the $500,000 tab for the wedding.

Speaking of Carrie...her new video for “Mama’s Song” will have an appearance from both her mother Carol and her hubby, Mike Fisher. “[Mike's] not ‘in’ it but you can tell it’s him,” Carrie tells People about Fisher’s cameo. “He hung out with my mom [on set] and he’s great with her.” From the sound of it, the new video will look more like a home movie than a music video, which is fitting because Underwood says the song is very personal to her. ‘Mama’s Song’ definitely reflects my mom and I’s relationship, and hopefully a lot of moms and daughters can relate to this, too,” Underwood says. “I love singin’ this song.” So what was the best part about recruiting family for the video? “Just seeing [Mike] in my world was sweet,” she says.

Keith Urban had a family member in his world recently- daughter Sunday Rose joined in on a recording session with her dad. Keith has been putting the finishing touches on his forthcoming album, 'Get Closer,' and during the recording, Sunday tok the mic. "I was shocked, because I thought the minute she hears her voice through the mic, through the headphones, she's just going to be freaked out by it," Keith tells The Boot. "But she giggled when she heard it and just launched into a song. [laughs] At two years and two months of age, she's standing at the mic, holding the mic – it's on a stand, but she's hanging onto it as well – and just sang these two songs. I recorded them, and they sound beautiful because it's in a professional studio. So, it's great to have it." And the tunes she recorded? "She did 'ABC' and 'Twinkle, Twinkle,'" says Keith. "They're big on the playlist right now. I know they're the same tune and different lyric, but that doesn't matter."

After a long day of flying recently, Jack Ingram and Joe Nichols performed a show together in Portland, Ore. Upon arriving at the hotel for check-in, Jack proceeded to his room to find his bed occupied -- by Joe Nichols! "Just accidentally lived out many women's fantasy -- on accident! Hotel gave me a key and a room. I opened door 2 find Joe Nichols n the bed!!!" Jack tweeted. "Wow! It was never that easy when I was single and walked into other women's room! More creepy than cool! I'll settle 4 u, Joe!!" After the initial shock wore off, Joe replied with, "Watch out @kevinfowler, @JackIngram might make a stop by your room next!" Jack eventually got the room situation squared away, getting a key to his own room.

Jamey Johnson's has enlisted his good buddy, Texas native Matthew McConaughey, to direct the his music video for 'Playing the Part'. Celebuzz has footage of the friends on the set of the video, which apparently involves Matthew in a gorilla suit! Watch it here.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

When it came to casting actors for his latest music video for "Trailerhood," Toby Keith knew exactly where to look. “We invaded this little trailer park, and it was a big deal for [the residents] to have a video shot there,” Keith says. “They were all standing behind the tape. One guy didn‟t have a shirt on, one kid didn‟t have any underwear on, one kid was sunburned and one girl‟s shirt didn‟t cover her belly.” That wasn‘t an issue for Toby. “So I said, "Why don‟t we bring everyone over here around this lawn chair and let‟s sing the chorus together?‟ And when you see the video, that‘s how they started their day. No one went back and said, "Let me go change my shirt‟ or "Let me go put a shirt on my kid.‟ It was authentic.”

One person who's happy with the new judges on Idol- Keith Urban. Keith and wife Nicole Kidman are big fans of American Idol -- they even record it when Keith's on the road. And Keith is excited that Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler in particular have been announced as the show's new judges. Keith says, "He'd certainly be entertaining. He'd be a good mentor too."

The track listing for Taylor Swift's highly anticipated third studio album was revealed today. She wrote all 14 tracks on her own.Speak Now Track Listing:1. "Mine"2. "Sparks Fly"3. "Back to December"4. "Speak Now"5. "Dear John"6. "Mean"7. "The Story of Us"8. "Never Grow Up"9. "Enchanted"10. "Better Than Revenge"11. "Innocent"12. "Haunted"13. "Last Kiss"14. "Long Live"Speak Now hits stores October 25.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Kenny Chesney will be all over TV in the next few weeks promoting the release of his new album, Hemingway's Whiskey. On Monday, his CMT Invitation Only special will debut, followed on Tuesday by an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America. On October 1st, he'll perform on the NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno and on October 4th, he'll appear on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Hemingway's Whiskey will be released on Tuesday (September 28th).

A Keith Urban fan wanted to know if his two-year-old, Sunday Rose knows her daddy's voice when one of his songs comes on the radio. "She does recognize my voice," Keith said, smiling. "But apparently she recognizes Kenny Chesney as her father, and occasionally, Brad Paisley is daddy, as well ... I'll be having words with both of those gentlemen at some point."

Toby Keith is the next superstar to take the stage when an all-new episode of CMT’s Invitation Only. Toby performs songs from his new album which is in stores October 5, including the title track ―Bullets In the Gun, ―Somewhere Else and his latest single ―Trailerhood. He also performs fan favorites including ―I Love This Bar, Good As I Once Was and more. Keith opens up during a question and answersession with fans revealing why it was important for him to be a songwriter, hispolitical platform if he were to run for office and what songs are playing on his iPod

Congratulations seem to be in order for Bucky Covington and his girlfriend, Katherine Cook, who are reportedly engaged. Buckytown USA, a large fan site for Bucky,reports “Word from the St. Joseph’s show is that Katherine is sporting a sparkling rock aka a flashy diamond on her left hand and big smile on her face and even confirmed to several Buckaneers that she and Bucky are indeed ENGAGED!”

Much like she did in Valentine’s Day, Taylor Swift will make a cameo in the upcoming movie Todd vs. High School. Pictured above, Taylor was recently on set of the movie which centers around a genius student who returns to high school to get his degree. No official release date for the movie has been announced, although it was originally scheduled to be released this fall.

Shania Twain is set to release an autobiography next Spring. It will chronicle Twain's rise to prominence from her rural upbringing in Ontario. "There have been moments in my life I was concerned by the reality that tomorrow would never come," Twain said. "Recently I experienced one of those moments to an intensity that brought on a sudden urgency to document my life before I ran out of time, before I had the opportunity to share an honest and complete account of my life, in my own words." Twain's docu-series on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network will also premiere in the spring.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Taylor Swift will perform at the U.N. on October 25th, the day her album, Speak Now, is released. The event will be streamed worldwide live on CMT.com, MTV.com and VH1.com

Both Randy Houser and the Zac Brown Band have new CDs out today! Randy Houser says that even though they are both releasing albums on the same day, there’s no competition between them. "We’ve been telling people that whenever you go to the store to buy his, make sure you pick up mine,” Randy says. “Or when you go buy mine, make sure you pick up his. We don’t give a damn. We’re all family. We’re all just as proud of one another as we are of ourselves.” Billy Currington‘s Enjoy Yourself, Walker Hayes‘ self-titled EP, and Mel Tillis‘ comedy album, You Ain’t Gonna Believe This, are also available.

Carrie Underwood in a dress made of tofu? Carrie, a vegetarian, was asked if she'd every wear a dress made of meat, as Lady Gaga recently did at the MTV Video Music Awards, Carrie said, "I'm going to have to go with 'no' on that. Maybe soy, or a tofurkey dress. It's currently in the works," she joked. Asked why she became a vegetarian in the first place, Carrie noted that a lot of media outlets have gotten the story wrong. "I quit eating beef when I was young because I grew up on a farm," she said. "A lot of people kind of take it to the extreme, like I'm anti-everything, but it's definitely an industry that I respect. My whole family eats meat, and so does [husband] Mike [Fisher]”. Carrie continued "But they were like my pets," she said of the farm animals. "I bottle-fed them, and I had a very close bond with some of them. Once I learned why we had them, that was that. It was a pretty traumatic experience."

Monday, September 20, 2010

Kenny Chesney celebrates the release of his new album, Hemingway's Whiskey on ABC's Good Morning America next Tuesday (Sept. 28th). Kenny, who will perform "Boys of Fall," says that his fans will be able to relate to this album. "I think there are a lot of different chapters of life in this record and with every song it takes somebody on a journey, and I'm proud of that."

Many people have their opinions on LeAnn Rimes and her affair with Eddie Cibrian and someone new chiming in...talk show host Wendy Williams. According to Us magazine, Wendy said that their affair was sloppy and chastised LeAnn for calling Eddie's children "my boys." She said, "The boys have a mother and her name is Brandi [Glanville]." On her Twitter page LeAnn responded, "I'm incredibly disappointed to see someone with that kind of platform use it for such negativity and could be so mean and judgmental about a situation they know nothing about."

Tonight's Tweets:

@JayDeMarcus: Sometimes it sounds like the MNF guys don't really like each other...

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Amazon.com is offering a free download of the Zac Brown Band "Keep Me in Mind"

They have another freebie too- a complete CD of Americana music! If you've never heard of some of these artists- it's a great way to check out some new cool music for free :) Plus, my all-time favorite Steve Earle is on here, so it's worth it for that alone!

Billy Currington’s music video for “Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer” is free on iTunesfor the week. Hurry… the offer only lasts until the end of this week!

Amazon is offering 3-months of Amazon Prime 2-Day Shipping for Free! That’s just enough time to place all of your orders for this Christmas Season, and have them shipped 2-Day for FREE! The program is called Amazon Mom, but “Amazon Mom is open to anyone.” {Dads, Grandparents, Aunts, Second Cousins, etc!} Free 2-Day Shipping + Amazon Prime Benefits (for 3 months)30% Off Diapers & Wipes with Subscribe & Save DeliveryExclusive Email Discounts & OffersAutomatic Cancellation: in the Third Month of your membership, Amazon will send you an email letting you know the automatic end date of the Free Amazon Prime Free 2-Day Shipping.If you already have Amazon Prime… you can cancel your existing subscription and receive a prorated refund for the remaining unused months left on your subscription! You will receive an email notifying you of the cancellation and refund amount.Print coupons for Betty Crocker products here http://www.bettycrocker.com/coupons-promotions/coupons/default

Taylor Swift has partnered with Target to offer an exclusive deluxe version of Speak Now that includes three new tracks, three re-mixes and 30 minutes of video. The Target version will be available through the retailer the day of release, Oct. 25. Pre-orders are available now.

Tim McGraw is taking the family along on his Australian tour for a little vacation. But they're not interested in your typical R and R -- they're cooking up some crazy adventures, including swimming in shark-infested waters. He tells us, "We've got a lot of big plans."

You might think that after a new artist signs a recording contract that he's on easy street, but Jason Aldean can confirm that it takes more than one hit song to put a roof over your head. It wasn't until his second album, Relentless, came out and "Johnny Cash" hit that he and wife, Jessica, were able to buy a piece of property. But the success of "She's Country" built their house.

Could Carrie Underwood be on the short list for her own special episode of Glee? It's possible. Here's why -- a Christian country singer comes into the picture with pipes that give Rachel a run for her money. Plus, Carrie has more than a few hits that will allow Lea Michele and the future guest-star to battle head-to-head for best high note. Time will tell if the writers take that idea and run with it but Carrie has been noted on a previous Gee episode when cast member Kristen Chenoweth sang “Last Name”

Billy Currington’s music video for “Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer” is free on iTunesfor the week. Hurry… the offer only lasts until the end of this week!

Dolly Parton did an interview recently and as always, offered up some great Dolly gems...On buying the house her family grew up in: "My brother, Bobby, is a great carpenter. He worked on it and restored it. What we tried to do was make it look like it did when we lived there, but we wanted it to be functional. So I spent a couple million dollars making it look like I spent $50 on it![laughs] Even like in the bathroom, I made the bathroom so it looked like an outdoor toilet."

On whether her fashion and style taste has changed much over the years: "Well Inever had any taste. [laughs] I never had any style. I knew nothing about fashion. I can always run free because I don't have to go by anybody's rules. The way I look, I wrote in a song: a country girl's idea of glam. I always wanted a dress and fancy things so I didn't know once I could get it that I wasn't supposed to wear it all at the same time!"

Ace of Cakes is going country! My favorite Food Network show made a cake for the Grand Ole Opry back in June a cake in celebration of their 85th birthday. Duff Goldman presented the cake. To see the presentation at the Grand Ole Opry, tune into Ace of Cakes TODAY, (September 16),on the Food Network. If you miss the airing tonight, check your listings because the Food Network will no doubt repeat it throughout the week.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Right now country stars are taking part in an episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." A private school outside Nashville that had been devastated by the flood in May is being rebuilt this week. Filming started Friday and runs through this Sunday, Spet. 18. ABC won't reveal who the country stars are. But, there's a good chance Carrie Underwood is one of them. She recently changed her next Grand Ole Opyr performance from this Friday. The Opry says it's so the concert can be filmed for a show on Nashville's recovery. Sounds like it could be "Extreme Makeover." And speaking of the Grand Ole Opry house- it will reopen Sept 28th with performances from Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels and Montgomery Gentry.

Three night sin a hospital gown were enough for James Otto. He was released last Friday and according to his publicist, he's "feeling a bit better" but isn't saying what he had. James had checked in because he'd "been feeling badly on and off for a while now but didn't think it was serious." He said he "may have been a bit distracted by all the excitement of baby Ava's arrival."

Joe Nichols’ “The Shape I’m In” website is here to help you. The website allowspeople to create their own postcard with a message about the shape they’re in and have it posted. It can be fun, serious or anything in between. “We came up with this idea as a great way to connect people to a larger community,” Nichols explained. “Sometimes you just want to get something off your chest, or you want to get creative and have some fun” Participating is easy—just create your own ‘postcard’ with your message, and send it to theshapeimin.joenichols@gmail.com. The card will then be posted on http://theshapeiminjoenichols.tumblr.com.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Jack Ingram has launched the Acoustic Motel -- a new YouTube series in which he performs acoustic versions of his favorite country songs. First up is a cover of Willie Nelson's "I'd Have to Be Crazy" -- which is the first song Jack ever learned to play.

Monday, September 13, 2010

I have to admit- I couldn't sit through the VMA's last night. I think it's a sign of getting old but I'd rather watch "Mad Men" than anything on MTV. That said, I had to find Taylor Swift's performance online to at least check that out. So if you missed the show or just have to see it again here ya go: Taylor Swift - Innocent (Live)

Garth Brooks' "Unanswered Prayers" is one of those songs that will stick in people's minds forever- and that's certainly the case with some Hollywood movie makers. They're turning the hit song into a two-hour Lifetime TV movie. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film follows a happily married man "who must make a tough choice" when his high school flame comes back to town. Actors Eric Close, Samantha Mathis and Madchen Amick have been cast in the lead roles. Unanswered Prayers will premiere in November.

A copy of Darius Rucker's country music debut, Learn to Live, has been included in a time capsule buried under the start-finish line at the newly repaved Daytona International Speedway. A surprised Darius remarked, "I can't believe they chose my album to be a part of this commemoration ...wow!" Also in the capsule are a cell phone and a menu from McDonald's.

A year after getting married I'm still getting the old "How's married life" question. I just say "good" but in all honesty- it's not too much different than when we were dating and Carrie Underwood agrees. Two months after her wedding to Mike Fisher, Carrie Underwood says married life isn't much different than dating. She tells Women's Health magazine, "Sometimes our schedules will click, sometimes they won't. But that's good because we're both independent."

Trace Adkins will stop by the TONIGHT SHOW on NBC Tuesday September 14th followed by a visit to JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE on ABC Wednesday September 15th.

Get a sneak peak of James Otto‘s new album, Shake What God Gave Ya, on CMT.com.

Eaglefest star Josh Kelley ("Georgia Clay") recently talked to OK! Magazine about his relationship with his brother Charles (of Lady Antebellum).“We’ve always been really, really close brothers,” Josh tells OK!. “We’ve done everything together. When we went to college, we were eight hours away from each other. I went off and moved to Los Angeles and was doing my thing in music, and now here we are both in business together, both country artists, and that’s brought us even closer together because we see each other all the time. I wouldn’t trade that for the world. It’s priceless for me to be able to spend time with my brother.” Now that Josh and Charles are in the same genre of music, will there any sibling rivalry? “I think most brothers and siblings are pretty competitive, but I think we’re mostly proud,” Josh says. “We push each other to be better, for sure. Pride doesn’t make any decisions for either one of us.” Josh will be at Eaglesfest Sept 24th at the VB Amphitheater.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Faith Hill is once again trying her hand at picking winners during the NFL season for Nashville's Tennessean newspaper. Here are her first week's predictions:

Minnesota at New Orleans -- Minnesota Miami at Buffalo -- Miami Detroit at Chicago -- Chicago Indianapolis at Houston -- Indianapolis Denver at Jacksonville -- Denver Cincinnati at New England -- New England Carolina at N.Y. Giants -- New York Atlanta at Pittsburgh -- Pittsburgh Cleveland at Tampa Bay -- Cleveland Oakland at Tennessee -- Tennessee Green Bay at Philadelphia -- Green Bay Arizona at St. Louis -- St. Louis San Francisco at Seattle -- San Francisco Dallas at Washington -- Dallas Baltimore at N.Y. Jets -- New York San Diego at Kansas City -- San Diego

Congratulations to Rascal Flatts member Joe Don Rooney and wife Tiffany Fallon welcomed their second child on Tuesday, September 7, a daughter named Raquel Blue, making her debut into the world at 4:26pm CST. Raquel weighed in at 7 pounds and is 18 inches long. Mother and daughter are doing well. “Tiffany and I are so excited to have brought a brand new baby into the world,” says Rooney. “Raquel Blue is so beautiful and we feel so grateful to have this sweet little angel round out our family. Jagger is already an excited big brother; yesterday he gave her kisses and tried to feed her cookies! We feel blessed and are ready for the sleepless nights ahead.”

Carrie Underwood thought she’d walk away from her first movie experience vowing to stick to her day job. But after a recent screening of the upcoming movie “Soul Surfer,” Underwood found she wasn’t as bad as she thought she’d be. “I really liked how everything turned out, including myself,” Underwood said. “I was really expecting the worst from myself, and I really surprised myself.” Carrie plays a youth counselor in the film, which is based on the story of Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Set your DVRs- Country Stars are taking over TV this week! Friday, September 10: Sugarland stops by the 'Today' show airing on NBC.

Plus, Martina McBride and Lady Antebellum will participate in an all-star musical collaboration during the 'Stand Up to Cancer' multi-network telethon, benefiting cancer research. Led by Stevie Wonder, Martina will perform with Natasha Bedingfield, Queen Latifah, Aaron Neville and Dave Stewart. The charity special will simulcast commercial-free on 17 channels beginning at 8:00 PM ET.

And finally, Blake Shelton closes out Friday with his performance on 'The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson' on CBS.

Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker are in the studio together working on Darius' upcoming sophomore country album. Brad writes on Twitter, "It's between a song we wrote and a Bluegrass version of 'Ebony and Ivory.' Tough choice." Darius is currently on Brad Paisley's H2O Tour.

Black Crowes front man Chris Robinson is the new Kayne West- he's hating on Taylor Swift. Chris told Nylon Guys magazine "I find it embarrassing that adults are like, 'Taylor Swift is very talented.' She's not. She might be cute, but she's horrible." Tell that to my 6 year old niece who sang me every word to "You Belong With Me" over and over this weekend. She thinks Taylor sounds great and so do millions of other fans!

Miranda Lambert is looking fitter these days and she credits a low-carb lifestyle for helping her loos a few pounds. But when she needs a day off from dieting, her go-to snack is Cheetos. She tells OK magazine, "I usually go with a 100-calorie pack...Every time I've ever had a fight with a boyfriend or anything, they always bring me Cheetos to make up. It's the way to my heart." Speaking of boyfriends, Miranda is set to marry longtime boyfriend Blake Shelton, an event that she says will happen in May of next year. "We're trying to figure out the final day. We can't nail anything down right now. We're looking at May. Next spring sometime. That'd be nice," Miranda told Lifeline Live (via USA Today.) As for making their marriage last, Miranda says she and Blake have what it takes. "We are fortunate that we have these amazing jobs but we really if we never sang another note, we'd be just as happy. That's why we're both confident our marriage will last forever. We're going to be fine and normal when this is over," she said. Will the happy couple be hearing the pitter-patter of little feet anytime soon? Probably not, says Miranda. "I just can't imagine at this point. We have a lot of dogs - five dogs, three go on the road. They're my dogs but now they're ours. I'm sure later on we'll talk about having a family. I wouldn't want to bring a kid into this crazy world right now," Miranda said.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The rest of the CMA nominees were announced this morning and Miranda Lambert leads the noms with 9 including Entertainer of the Year! Get the full list of nominees here: http://www.countrymusicislove.com/2010/09/44th-annual-cma-awards-nominees.htmlSpeaking of Miranda-It took a few tries, but Miranda Lambert eventually gushed via Twitter about Taylor Swift’s lyrics for “Mine.”“Just watched the video for ‘mine’. Taylor is a freaking great songwriter,”Miranda tweeted Friday (Aug. 27) night.“Careless man’s careless daughter is a great line! Good job girl.”Then, this series of tweets from Miranda:“Ooops careful daughter. Eaither way....I think she can turn a phrase better than most:)” “Either.” “I hate it when my fingers are faster than my brain. (Blake . . . shut up . . . :)”Taylor enjoyed the feedback and shot Miranda back a compliment of her own on Miranda’s new video for “Only Prettier,” which also stars Kellie Pickler, as well as Laura Bell Bundy and Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott.Taylor tweeted:“@Miranda_lambert your tweet made me smile so big! I'm so stoked that you like that lyric!! I was full on giggling watching your new video :)"

Brad Paisley, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood will be featured on In the Spotlight With Robin Roberts: All Access Nashville, which will air on November 9th, on ABC to gear-up for the CMA Awards the next night.

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About Me

I'm the evening personality on 97.3 The Eagle. Ok, that's just a fancy way of sayin' I hang out with you on-air weeknights 7-Midnight. When I'm not playing on the radio I'm playing in the kitchen. I'm a music lover, addicted to Pinterest and a "mom" to two cats. So that's me in a nutshell. Radio host, budding cook and a bit of a crazy cat lady.